Santa Clara's Greg Harisis Named WCC Rawlings Baseball Player of the Week

SANTA CLARA, CALIF. — The West Coast Conference announced its weekly baseball honors Monday, and Santa Clara's Greg Harisis has been named WCC Rawlings Baseball Player of the Week for Feb. 24, 2014. During the week of Feb. 17-23, the senior infielder/outfielder from Yorba Linda, Calif. earned Irish Baseball Classic MVP honors with a stat line of 9-for-19 with three RBIs, seven runs scored, two doubles, one home run and an outfield assist as the Broncos went 4-0.

"More than anything, it just means to me that I did my job for our team as the leadoff man to set the table and help our team put runs on the board and get four road wins this weekend," Harisis said.

In a 16-3 win over University of the Incarnate Word Feb. 21, Harisis went 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored. Santa Clara also picked up two wins over Notre Dame (2-1 Feb. 20, 8-7 in the championship game Feb. 23) and snapped a nine-game losing streak against WCC foe Gonzaga (3-2 Feb. 22). Three of Santa Clara's four victories were one-run wins, and Harisis either scored or drove in six of the 13 combined runs in those three games.

"Our pitching staff did a great job all weekend, so it gives our offense a lot of confidence in those close games to just stick to our plan knowing that they will keep the game close until we can get some runs across," Harisis said.

Harisis is the first Bronco to win WCC Player of the Week honors since Patrick Terry on May 23, 2011. The 2012 First-Team All-WCC selection has started all nine games this season, and leads the 5-4 Broncos with a .375 batting average, 15 hits, 10 runs scored, five RBIs, four doubles, two home runs and 25 total bases.

"Coach [Keith] Beauregard worked hard with me all fall and winter to make my swing as consistent as possible, and just sticking to what he's worked on with me has helped me feel comfortable at the plate this season," Harisis said.

FROM THE COACHES

Head Coach Dan O'Brien

"Greg, and our entire ball club in fact, took punches and bounced right back all weekend. That was the key to our success. He led the way by not letting a mistake or a bad at bat get to him. He and the team just kept grinding."

"Greg has always been a great athlete and a talented player, but he's now a veteran, and veterans play with a quiet confidence that affects our entire offense. That's why we lead him off. He sets the tone for our ball club and is our offensive leader."

Hitting Coach Keith Beauregard

"In the offseason, Greg worked hard on a few mechanical things that have helped him get into more repeatable hitting positions. This has allowed him to focus over the past two months solely on the process of his approach, and he's done an exceptional job with trusting and executing it."

"Greg is a hard worker, an extremely gifted athlete and has a high baseball IQ — when an athlete possesses these attributes they are a load to deal with on the diamond."